US workers without paid sick leave more likely to forego preventive health care

From www.eurekalert.com

New study shows paid sick leave is key for using preventive care services: Workers without paid sick leave 1.6 times less likely to get a flu shot

Florida Atlantic University

More than 20 million Americans have gained health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and do not have to pay for 15 preventive screenings recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Yet, despite this advantage, many are not utilizing these lifesaving screenings and are contributing to this nation's soaring health care costs, which reached a whopping $3 trillion in 2014.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and Cleveland State University are the first to use data after the implementation of the ACA to get to the root of what factors are contributing to the low rates of preventive care use in this country. Results of their study, published in the current issue of the journal Preventive Medicine, illuminate the importance of the role paid sick leave benefits plays in the lives of employees and ultimately in public health.

"Compared to 22 similarly developed countries, the United States is the only one that does not mandate employers to provide paid sick leave benefits or include paid sick leave in a universal social insurance plan," said LeaAnne DeRigne, Ph.D., lead author and an associate professor in the School of Social Work within FAU's College for Design and Social Inquiry.